Why I love making Fish Biryani in the Instant Pot

Makes a true one pot meal as you can start with caramelizing onions on saute mode, then saute dill and finish up by layering fish and rice over in the same pot

Perfectly cooked rice with each grain separate and fluffy

Tender and moist fish without the fear of over or undercooking

Keeps warm until you are ready to serve and I always serve it right out of the Instant Pot. No need to wash a seperate serving dish

Biggest advantage of all – no fishy smell in your kitchen

Best rice for making Biryani:

I recommend using extra long-grain white basmati rice for making Biryani dishes. I have been using Kohinoor extra long-grain basmati rice which when cooked makes fluffy long-grain rice with each grain being separate. Some other brands that I like are Royal, Tilda and Daawat – just make sure to buy the extra long-grain variety for making Biryani and Pulao. Most Indian grocery stores will carry these brands and usually is the best place to buy basmati rice.

Best fish for Fish Biryani:

Bone-in fish steaks hold up really well in Biryani dishes. I like to use salmon, halibut or king fish steaks. Ask the fish monger for 1 to 1.5 inch thick steaks thats are about the same size.

If you do not like bone-in fish, use thick fish fillet of salmon, halibut or king fish. Firm white fish will work well without overcooking or breaking apart.

Frozen fish will also work well for this recipe. Follow the same cook times. The fish will mostly thaw during marination.

Adding dill to Fish Biryani:

Lemony sweet flavors of fresh dill compliments seafood dishes and adds rich flavors to this Biryani. Dill has many nutritional benefits – it is a good source of vitamin A, calcium, minerals and are packed with dietary fiber. Fresh dill is widely used in India and my favorite recipes using dill are Garlic Dill Lentils and Dill Dhokli. Although I highly recommend adding dill, you can also skip it if you do not have it.

fresh dill

Expert tips on making Biryani:

Rinse the rice 2 times and then soak for 20 minutes. Drain the water after 20 minutes. This will remove some of the starch from the rice and will make rice fluffy with longer grains after cooking.

Pat dry the fish after washing. This will reduce excess liquids in the Biryani.

Marinate fish for at least 20 minutes so the flavors get into the fish.

To make the Biryani less spicy, simply reduce the red chili powder and garam masala by half.

For a dairy-free version substitute ghee with cooking oil and skip yogurt.

Deglaze the Instant Pot insert after caramelizing the onions. You can use 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to remove all the browning. That will avoid the dreaded BURN during pressure cooking cycle. Tip – Onions can be also caramelized in a non-stick pan ahead of time which will also make them crispy.

After the Biryani is done pressure cooking, gently fluff the top layer of the rice with a fork or silicone spatula. Take the inner pot out and allow it to cool on a hot plate before serving on plates.

When serving it’s best to use a silicone spatula to take most of the rice layer out first by gently reaching from the sides of the pot. Then carefully take out the bottom layer of the Biryani with the fish and serve over rice.

Be gentle when handling the hot rice, if you carefully take it out, the grains will not break and you will see long-grain rice just like my Biryani pictures 🙂

Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode and heat 2 tablespoons of ghee. Add thinly sliced onions and cook stirring frequently for 8 to 10 minutes or until the onions are caramelized. Take out half of the onion and keep aside for garnishing the Biryani (steps 5 – 6).

Next, add 2 tablespoons of ghee to the Instant Pot with half of the caramelized onions already in the pot. Then, add dill and mix well deglazing the pot. Afterwards, add marinated fish and jalapeño (if using). Next, add rice, 1.5 teaspoon salt and water. Gently push all the rice under the liquids with a spatula (steps 7 – 10).

Close the Instant Pot and turn pressure valve to sealing. Set Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 5 minutes. Follow with Quick release. Garnish with the remaining caramelized onions and cilantro.

Finally, serve with Raita and lime wedges.

Love the warm comforting flavors of this hearty meal? Try some of my other popular Biryani recipes:

Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode and heat 2 tablespoons of ghee. Add thinly sliced onions and cook stirring frequently for 8 to 10 mins or until the onions are caramelized. Take out half of the onion and keep aside for garnishing the biryani.

Add 2 tablespoons of ghee to the Instant Pot with half of the caramelized onions already in the pot. Add dill and mix well deglazing the pot. Add marinated fish and jalapeño (if using). Add rice, 1.5 teaspoon salt and water. Gently push all the rice under the liquids with a spatula.

Close the Instant Pot and turn pressure valve to sealing. Set Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 5 mins. Follow with Quick release.

Garnish with the remaining caramelized onions and cilantro. Serve with Raita (Onions and tomatoes mixed in yogurt), and lime wedges.

Raita

To make the raita, whisk the yogurt in a medium bowl. Add onions, tomatoes, salt and mix well. Garnish with cilantro.

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Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live New Jersey with my husband and two sons.

I made this tonight and it turned out great. Even though I made a trip to Trader Joe’s, I totally forgot to get the onions. So, I ended up sautéing the onions on the stovetop and then adding to the instant pot.

I made this over the weekend. It came out great. I used salmon. I totally forgot to pick up the fried onions from Trader Joe’s when I went there. I ended up sauteeing fresh onions on the stovetop. I have got the burn message from sauteeing onions in the instant pot before, so I don’t mind the extra step. Thanks for this awesome recipe.

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Hi, I'm Archana: former software engineer, now full time blogger. I am a mother of two boys who share my love for food and cooking. Words I love to hear are, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” The same words I say to my mom every time we speak. I live in the greater New York City Area with my husband and sons